


Sleeping Arrangements

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s01e06 Dalek, Episode: s02e03 School Reunion, Episode: s02e04 The Girl in the Fireplace, F/M, Post-Episode: s01e14 The Christmas Invasion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 02:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4042915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They stay together, and it's very innocent. Until it isn't.</p>
<p>Episodes used:<br/>-Dalek<br/>-Post- The Christmas Invasion<br/>-School Reunion<br/>-Girl in the Fireplace</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping Arrangements

Time Lords were not supposed to sleep in the same room as their companions.  It was a general rule, a good rule, and it saved a lot of trouble where canoodling was concerned.   The Doctor, for one, simply did not canoodle.  It was all very plain.

But then Rose Tyler came on board.  He tried to keep away from her as much as he could, but he found that it was really rather impossible.  He ate meals with her in the galley, sat with her in the library in the evening, and did everything he could to spend time with her.

It wasn't until after Utah that he found himself standing outside her bedroom door, hands at his sides and looking very, very awkward. 

He had almost lost her today.  Oh, yes, life with him was very dangerous in general, but he thought he had heard her die over an earpiece, heard her last moments.  It was too close to loss.  And too close after the War.

Until the door opened, he didn't even know it had been his hand on the knob.  Rose was sitting up, reading in bed.  Her eyes lifted from the page to him and she smiled warmly, not looking uncomfortable or upset.  "Hello," she said.

"Hello," he replied, forcing a grin.  "I-I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know today was a bit much," Rose said simply, lifting a shoulder.  "I had a bit of trouble with it too.  But I know you better than all this.  Or, I like to think I do."  She patted the bed next to her.  "Mind your shoes."

It was embarrassing, how he didn't hesitate.  He pulled off his boots and seated himself next to Rose on the bed, backing against the headboard. 

She grinned again.  "There, how's that?" She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.  She looked at him, and he noticed how tired her eyes were.  "Do you want to stay?"

Oh, he wanted.  Yes, he wanted to stay.  And even though he wasn't supposed to, he did.  He shucked his jacket and she pulled back the covers for him as she turned out the light.

The started just facing each other across the bed, but eventually Rose scooted forward and snuggled herself up against his chest.  "G'night, Doctor," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling shock.  "It'll be better in the morning."

—-

Rose sat alone in her bed, confused and struggling with the idea of regeneration.  She liked this Doctor, and of course she probably loved him because she loved the Doctor.  It helped that the Doctor was rather fit, and properly suited and booted.  And he was still so good to her.

She sighed and flopped back on the bed, her arms outstretched.  She didn't know what to do.  She'd never heard of anything like this, even in wild fairy tales she heard as a kid.  And here she was, sleepless in her old bedroom, where she couldn't sleep anyways because she couldn't hear the hum of the TARDIS, at three in the morning.

If Rose had it her way, she'd be in the TARDIS right now.  She and the Doctor were leaving tomorrow, and she wanted to be close to him.  She didn't want him to forget that they were travelling together, as stupid as that felt in itself.  He couldn't forget.  Could he?

An almost silent knock at the door startled her from her musings.  She threw an arm over her eyes.  "Come in," she said quietly.

She peered over her forearm as the Doctor entered the door.  "Hi," she whispered.

The Doctor grinned and waved sheepishly, making Rose smile a little.  She beckoned him over with her hand.  He nodded and shut the door behind himself before walking over to her bed. 

He shrugged off his jacket and toed off his trainers before climbing in bed next to her.  She almost smiled at the fact that he didn't even ask.  She found that she was alright with it.

"You alright?" she asked, turning on her side to face him.

He fished under the covers for her hand and threaded their fingers together.  "No, I couldn't."

"Well, you slept pretty good over Christmas," she replied, smiling.

This was a lover's situation, whispered words in a dark room.  Neither of them would address it, but both of them felt it.

"Yes, and I have you to thank," he said.  "Rose.  Are you alright?  With this?" He asked as he gestured vaguely around the room.

"Regeneration?" Rose asked, drawing her brows together.

"Yes," the Doctor said quietly.

"It's hard," Rose admitted.  "But, you're you," she laid her free hand on his cheek, "I know that, now.  I don't want you to be self conscious about it."

"You're okay?" The Doctor asked.

Rose offered him a tender smile.  "Yes."

He blew out a sigh of relief and pulled her against him, burrowing his face in her neck and cuddling her.  His legs thoroughly tangled with hers, he sighed against the skin of her neck.

"Good night, Doctor."

"Still the Doctor?"

"You'll never get any complaints from me."

—-

They fought at Sarah Jane's that night.  Mickey and Sarah Jane had gone out to leave them alone.  They made sure the Doctor and Rose knew they were leaving, just so they wouldn't be brought into it. 

 Rose was afraid, that was all, and she was projecting her fear onto the Doctor.  She didn't want to be forgotten, just a speck of fun in his life until she died or he'd forget about her and dump her off. 

"You're gonna dump me off, and if you're going to, don't lie to me!" Rose shouted, fully aware that Sarah Jane was down the hall and again furious that they weren't staying in the TARDIS.  And she had to share a bed with the Doctor anyways.  And they were fighting.

"I'm not going to dump you off!" The Doctor shouted, advancing on her.  "I believe I just told you that outside the chip shop, not two hours ago!"

"And how much does that count?  Hm?  What does that count for, after what you did to Sarah Jane! She's wonderful!"

"I know!" The Doctor carded a hand through his hair, panting angrily, his eyes snapping with heat.  "I know she is," he said lowly.  "But I had my reasons, Rose, and I'll never have a reason to get rid of her."

Rose lifted her chin, biting tears back.  "I'm sure you told her that too."

"You're not Sarah Jane," The Doctor said quietly.  "You're not anybody I've travelled with, you're different.  You have to understand that." 

She set her hands on her hips and scoffed.  "How am I supposed to believe that?  After today?"

"You're supposed to trust me, Rose!" The Doctor was back to yelling.  "I thought you did!"

"I did too!" Rose retorted.  "You've never given me a reason not to before!"

"I sent you away on Satellite Five and you still stayed!" The Doctor choked out.  "Because I figured out why you did it!" Rose shoved her fingers into her hair.  "After this, Doctor, I think I'm going to go home.  I don't want you to have to suffer when it's time to get rid of me," she said sarcastically.  "Sorry, Doctor, I just thought that maybe you cared about me!"

The Doctor shoved her up against the wall and crushed his mouth to hers, claiming her with the movement of his lips. 

She squeaked in surprise but for some reason the anger also fueled every other emotion she felt for this man, and she pulled him closer, opening her mouth under his.

He slid his arms around her waist and lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, all thoughts of going back to Jackie's forgotten.  She whimpered into his mouth and slid her hands up into his hair, tugging him gently.

He pulled away and set about kissing at her neck, her jaw, sucking at her pulse point and nipping at her collarbone.  "Don't ever think," he pushed her into the wall again, "That I don't care about you."

His eyes were dark and Rose searched them, and she meant to say something, but only nodded.  The Doctor glanced over at the closed door.  "We're alone," he growled, and Rose whimpered in response.

He pushed into her again, devouring her mouth as if he were discover every one of her secrets in this one movement.  He pulled her from the wall, still clutching her tightly to himself, and walked to the four poster bed before dumping her unceremoniously on it.

He started to pull his tie off, and Rose watched him with a heated gaze.   He crawled over her and leaned down and pressed another hot kiss to her mouth.  "And tonight, Rose Tyler, will be the last night you ever doubt how I feel about you."

And for a moment, she believed him.

—-

Reinette.  Rose didn't want to hate her.  She was a good woman, who came onto the Doctor, and she couldn't really blame her for fancying him.  It was a really easy thing to do, actually, fancy the Doctor. 

But Rose Tyler didn't fancy the Doctor.  She loved him, and it was that simple.  Very simple to her, but she guessed not to him.  She'd moved from the bedroom they shared back to her own, sitting at her desk and staring in the mirror.

She tried to pull her hair into the way Reinette wore hers, hoping that maybe it would make the Doctor look at her again.

She didn't notice him come in behind her, or the very sad look on his face.  He pursed his lips, growing his courage before stepping behind her so she could see him in the mirror.

Rose dropped her hands from her hair, making it tumble across her shoulders. 

"Rose, why are you in here?" He asked, his eyes full but guarded.

Rose lowered her gaze to her lap, and lifted a shoulder.  "I'm sorry you lost her," she said quietly, "I-I really am sorry.  I know you cared about her."

"I care about everyone, on some level," the Doctor said quietly.  "You didn't answer me.  Why are you in here?"

She paused, not sure how to respond.  She sighed deeply through her nose and decided to just tell the truth.  "I thought you might not want me with you tonight."

The Doctor choked on a sob.  "Rose, how could you think that?"  He got on his knees next to her chair, laying a hand on her cheek to make her look at him.  "How could you ever think that I don't want you tonight?"

Rose blew out her cheeks.  "It's fine," she said, standing and arranging some things on the desk.  "I'm sorry that today was hard on all of us, I really am.  It'll all be better in the morning."

The Doctor was taken aback, remembering when she had first said those words to him.  She had said them when _she_ had been in danger, but was worrying about him.  And now she was saying them because _she_ was upset, and maybe angry, but she was worrying about his feelings. 

He stood and went to her, running his fingers lightly up her arms.  "Rose." 

She gave him her full attention, and he could see that she was fighting back tears.

"Reinette was a hero.  Like meeting Shakespeare, or Louisa Mae Alcott, or something.  She was someone I would've taken on an adventure and taken back home." He said the words, they were true, and he willed her to believe them.  "She's not you.  Sarah Jane isn't you, Lynda with a y wasn't you, and I.  Need. You."

She tried and failed to choke back a sob, and she leaned her head forward. 

The Doctor gathered her up in his arms, holding her close.  He felt guilt wash over him, guilt he couldn't take away as easily as he had last time.  "I'm sorry," he whispered. 

"This isn't about me," Rose said mournfully.  "I didn't mean to make this about me."

"I'm glad it is," the Doctor admitted.  "Come to bed?"

She nodded slowly, and the Doctor scooped her up in a bridal carry.  She rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in being close to him. 

"Sorry," She murmured again as they exited her old room.

The fact that she was upset for feeling something made the Doctor feel even more guilty, which he supposed was rightly distributed.  He had left her for five and a half hours, after all. 

He set her down on her feet in their room, and they changed separately and quietly.  The Doctor walked back over to her and hugged her tightly.  "I'm sorry," he whispered against her neck.  "I've not been good to you."

"Yes you have," Rose replied.  "But they can't all be good days I guess, hm?"

"I know you're upset."

Rose blew out a long gust of air.  "Yes, I'm upset, but I think I know that it's okay."

"I love you, Rose."

She pulled away and looked at him, her face full of love and adoration and awe. "I love you too, Doctor," she said, and it was the loudest she'd been all night.  She sounded so sure.

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, promising her everything with it.  They crawled into bed together, cuddled together and letting everything that had happened that day off of each other.

But if they believe in one thing, just one thing,

It was definitely them.


End file.
